Performance of Improved Indigenous Chicken Fed Diets Containing Defatted Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal

Abstract

The global demand for sustainable and cost-effective animal protein sources, crucial for mitigating environmental impact and production costs, positions insect-based ingredients as a highly promising solution. This study evaluated the effectiveness of defatted black soldier fly larvae meal as a complete or partial fish meal substitute in the diets of improved indigenous chickens, assessing its impact on their growth performance. Nutritional values of black soldier fly larvae-defatted (BSFLM-D) and formulated diets were determined using AOAC methods. One-hundred-and-fifty-day-old chicks were adapted to control diets for fourteen days, then randomly distributed into fifteen pens for experimental feeding, including a one-week acclimatisation period. Performance parameters, including weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio, were monitored from twenty-one days of age. Chemical analysis revealed that while higher BSFLM-D inclusion levels slightly decreased crude protein, they significantly increased Metabolizable Energy, crude fat, and ether extracts, thereby enhancing the feed's energy density. Experimental diets significantly improved daily weight gain during the growing stage, with the control diet performing significantly worse than diets T4 and T5. Feed intake also varied significantly throughout the study, especially during the chick and grower stages. Here, the control diet differed significantly from T4 and T5, which also showed distinct differences between themselves. A strong positive correlation was found between feed intake and weight gain, supporting the superior performance linked to BSFLM-D inclusion. Furthermore, the feed conversion ratio notably improved from the chick to the grower stage, with the control diet being significantly less efficient than diets T3, T4 and T5 over the study duration. These findings conclusively demonstrate that BSFLM-D is a viable and effective protein source that substantially enhances chicken performance and feed utilisation efficiency. Consequently, incorporating 25% BSFM-D into chicken diets is strongly recommended for farmers to achieve high production levels and optimise profitability.